SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team got a walk-off single from sophomore Joe Barbera on Friday to win the opening game of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division weekend series with Millersville, defeating the Marauders 3-2 on a windy day at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (15-17, 9-4 PSAC East) extended its winning streak to eight straight games by rallying for the victory, as the Raiders were held hitless until the fifth inning and never led until Barbera's walk-off. SU was out-hit by Millersville (22-8, 8-2), 11-3, but stranded 13 Marauders on base.  
 
Redshirt-junior Nick Zegna made the start on the mound for the Raiders and went seven innings, tying a career high with 11 strikeouts. It was his ninth consecutive start in which he pitched six or more innings. Zegna allowed 10 hits (all singles), walked one, and yielded two runs (one earned).
 
Notably, Zegna worked out of multiple jams -- most impressively in the first inning. Millersville loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles but Zegna proceeded to strike out the next three batters to escape unscathed.
 
Each of the Marauder runs came home without the benefit of a hit. In the third, Jimmy Losh ran home on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Luke Trainer sent a sacrifice fly to right field that drove home Bren Taylor to make it 2-0.
 
In the bottom half of the fifth, an error allowed freshman Carter Hinds to reach base. Junior Lake Lloyd then hit a ball that dropped just inside the right-field line for a double, putting runners on second and third. Redshirt-sophomore Justin Byler hit a sacrifice fly to right field that drove in Hinds.
 
In the eighth inning, the Raiders managed to tie the game without getting a hit. Graduate JuJu Cason worked a walk to start the inning. After a sacrifice by Barbera, senior Ben Werkheiser was hit by a pitch. With junior Justin Darden at bat, a wild pitch put Cason and Werkheiser in scoring position, resulting in Darden being intentionally walked. With the bases loaded, sophomore Andrew Chronister put the ball in play and Cason managed to score off a costly error by the Marauders.
 
Tied entering the bottom of the ninth inning, Lloyd led off with an excellent at-bat and worked a nine-pitch walk. Byler flipped places with Lloyd at first base after a fielder's choice, and Cason then worked another walk on a full count. Sophomore Jafari Williams entered the game as a pinch runner, replacing Byler. On the first pitch to Barbera, both runners moved up on a wild pitch. On a 1-2 pitch, with a drawn-in infield, Barbera sent the ball into right field to send Williams across the plate for the win.
 
Sophomore Austen Labarre pitched the eighth for the Raiders and sophomore Jackson LoBianco pitched the ninth. Labarre struck out two in the eighth. LoBianco stranded two runners in the ninth and earned the win in relief.
 
The Raiders, who won the last game of the 2021 season series against Millersville, have now won back-to-back games against the Marauders for the first time since 2017.
 
Shippensburg will head Millersville tomorrow for a noon doubleheader at Cooper Park.
 
NOTE: Millersville charges admission to its home baseball games. Tickets can be purchased at https://millersvilleuni.vbotickets.com/event/MU_Baseball_vs_Shippensburg/68600.